The chicken was on the table, a day belatedly, but at least it finally got made, as did the potatoes and gravy and the dessert for later. Ryan had had a lot of fun making it with Jenn and he was definitely understanding why Brendon had kept her around. It had been years since he'd really made a new friend, sad though that might sound, but this woman definitely had potential. It didn't hurt that she was closer to his own age, at just a couple of months younger, than anyone else close to him. He reached out with a smile and started cutting the chicken, putting the first drumstick automatically on his daughter's plate, followed by a wing. Then he turned to Isaac. "What would you like?" he asked, smiling at the boy.

Isaac scrunched his nose up as he looked at the chicken, then turned to stare at Ryan. "What is that?" he asked, eyes wide. He looked at his father and Godmother, frowning a bit, and seemed frightened. Brendon sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes, and then turned to his son. "It's chicken, Isaac. You like chicken, we eat it all the time. This is just... a different way to eat it," Brendon explained, giving him an encouraging smile. Isaac shook his head forcefully.

"Birdie!" he cried, causing Brendon and Jenn to both groan at the same time. It really was not the time for their son to figure out that he was eating animals.

Jenn reached over and took a hold of Isaac's hand. "Listen, sweetie. This is meat. People eat meat because it's good for their health, and that includes you, alright? Just eat ten bites, okay?" she asked, and smiled when Isaac nodded reluctantly. "Just give him the whitest meat you can find... or give Brendon part of the breast and he can go digging through it," she said, looking over at Ryan and smiling before rolling her eyes a little.

Ryan nodded with an amused smile and cut off half the breast before putting it on Brendon's plate. "And you?" he asked, looking at Jenn even as he kept cutting pieces off so they'd be easier to get for a second serving. He got in all the way to the filling and put a tiny bit of that on Lucía's plate as well before raising an eyebrow at Brendon, waiting for confirmation before giving him some as well.

"Wing," she answered with a wink, watching as Brendon served his son potatoes and then started the task of finding some meat he would eat. "Did you guys have fun at the park?" she asked, smiling when Isaac seemed to brighten. He went on to babble about swings and a doggie, then looked expectantly at Keely for her to fill them in on all the things they had done.

"We used the swings, and Brendon pushed me real high," Lucía declared with a wide smile. "And then there was a lady who thought Brendon was my Daddy, but she had a really cute doggie, so I didn't tell her she was wrong, and we petted the doggie and played on the merry-go-round and used the slides and we had so much fun." She was nearly squealing by the end of her retelling, grinning wide.

Ryan found himself chuckling amusedly even as he steadily served Jenn the other wing and took a bit of filling and the second half of the chest for himself before helping Lucía with her potatoes and gravy, grinding the potatoes with a fork to get a sort of pseudo mash and mixing it with the gravy the way he knew she preferred it before serving himself. "Sounds like it was a lot of fun," he stated.

"We did. And we had a bit of a talk on our way back," he said, smiling as he winked at Lucía. He was feeling nervous about using her name, now, because he knew how much it meant to Ryan, and he wanted to surprise Ryan by using it, and saying that she had given him the right to say it; the privilege, even, of using the name that she only saved for her father and Godfather. But that made him nervous, because he wasn't sure if the surprise would be good or bad in Ryan's eyes.

Ryan found himself biting his lip a bit nervously, slightly anxious as to how it had gone. But on the other hand Lucía hadn't come raging to him, demanding they get rid of Brendon, so it couldn't have gone too bad. And he still held hopes that it had gone well. He didn't want to have to end this before it had really properly started back up, but for Lucía he would. He just hoped he wouldn't be forced to make that decision. "I'm glad you had a good time," he finally settled on saying.

"Yes," Brendon said quietly, and then hesitated for only a moment before pressing on. "I think... Lucía and I have a lot in common," he stated, giving her a small, shy grin before returning to his meal and cutting off a small piece of chicken to feed to Isaac, who ate it without a word, looking interested in what was going on around him, and uncaring about what went into his mouth.

Feeling confused and slightly apprehensive for a moment, Ryan looked at Lucía who only smiled like nothing strange at all had happened, and then he felt a smile grow on his own face. It had gone more than well, then. He hadn't imagined his daughter would let someone else call her by her middle name, at least not without years of being beyond close to them. Hell, Jaken didn't even get to call her that, and he'd been labeled uncle for nearly as long as Lucía had known him. Ryan had no idea what had turned it all around, but he was beyond grateful, his heart feeling a lot lighter in his chest. "That's very good to hear," he stated genuinely, sending Brendon a grin before he cut off a piece of potato and leading it to his mouth, feeling more content than he had in a long, long time.

Brendon grinned widely, forcefully restraining himself from whooping for joy.

***

Brendon and Isaac decided to pay Ryan and Lucía another visit only three months after they'd come back from their visit to England. They flew to Spain, this time, under the pretense that Brendon wanted to find a villa of his own and Isaac needed more guitar lessons. Brendon did want to find a villa, he really did, but after three days of doing nothing but looking, he was starting to think that he wouldn't find one suitable.

"There's nothing," he announced, flopping down onto a chair. They were about to eat dinner together, and they were outside because it was too hot inside. He groaned and rubbed his temples. "And I think I have a headache," he added petulantly, only to have Isaac laugh at him from across the table.

Ryan bit back a laugh, shaking his head slightly. After over a year of living part-time in Spain he was used to the heat, and he luckily didn't get that many headaches from it anymore. And in October, really, it was quite pleasant, but Brendon seemed to have grown accustomed to New York weather too much over the years to be able to stand the southern European climate. "I think your standards are too high," he stated once he was sure he wouldn't laugh. "But maybe I'm just easy to please. This was the first villa I saw down here and I knew it was it immediately. I guess we can't all be that lucky." He was keeping half an eye on the pool where Lucía was playing in the shallow end, ready to jump in with half a second's notice if he were needed, and couldn't help an amused smile when she struggled with a pink blow-up ball that was bigger than she was.

"Whatever, Mister Found The Perfect House," Brendon said, sticking his tongue out at Ryan, much to Isaac's amusement. "Really, though. The places are either not well taken care of, or are just plain too small," he whined, sitting back in his seat and tilting his head up to stare at the sky. "You know I'm going to get a playground in my backyard right?" he teased. "And then I'll be the most popular daddy in the whoooole town?" he chuckled to himself, knowing he'd never have the guts to do something like that. It was unnecessary, really, but seeing Ryan grow serious was always fun.

Rolling his eyes slightly, Ryan shook his head. "Playgrounds are supposed to be public," he stated. "It's where you meet other kids and make new friends, not something your dad should own just for your use. Half the point will disappear then. Besides, it wouldn't be good for him." He sighed slightly, biting his lip for a moment. "Don't spoil him Brendon, make him work for what you give him, or he won't know what to do with the real world once he meets it. All you'll teach him is to put himself first and to push people away when he really wants them to be close."

"I turned out okay," he argued half-heartedly. "And I was kidding. Just wanted to hear you go all parent-y on me," he smiled sweetly and shrugged. "He'd never leave the house, anyway, and I don't think I could deal with that. I think I'm going to have to hire a tutor to live with us if we're going back and forth between New York and here. Which is going to be a pain, really," he sighed and looked over at Isaac, winking. Thank God he seemed not to have heard the playground bit.

"Yeah, you did," Ryan answered softly after a moment's hesitation. "But I hope Isaac will never have to go through the things you did to reach maturity," he added, even more softly, before he took a sip of his piña colada, letting the fresh, sweet taste linger on his tongue for a moment before swallowing. He sighed slightly. "With time I'll probably have to do the same for Luce if we keep going back and forth like we are," he stated. "I don't like it, though. Being around kids her own age is good for her. I don't want to ruin that, or handicap her life because of the structure of mine, but... I guess I'm not exactly sure how to go about it. A tutor in Spain and normal school in England, maybe? Make sure the tutor follows the school curriculum." He shrugged. "I don't know at all. I guess I should just be a better father and start arranging my own life after hers a bit more. But then again, I'm not the only one in love with the Costa Bravo."

Brendon nodded in agreement, stealing Ryan's piña colada and taking a sip before smacking his lips and smiling. "You'd do her more harm than good by taking away one of her homes," he said, giving Ryan back his drink. "She does love it here, and I think getting her a tutor only for Spain, somehow, would be a really good idea." He paused, looking out to the pool and smiling. "Isaac hates his tutor," he told Ryan, giving his son a stern look, though all he received in return was a wide grin. "Keeps pinching her arms, like I brought him up in a zoo, or something," he grumbled. He ignored the first part of what Ryan had told him, but silently agreed. He would never treat his son like his father had treated him.

"If I do get a tutor," Ryan said. "I'll have Luce go through the applications and meetings with her. She'd get the right to veto. If she has only one teacher almost half the time, I want her to like the person," he finished, leaning back in his chair and taking his drink back. "I can get Señora Sanchez to make you one too," he offered with a small smile, soaking up the sun the was no longer present in England. There was a long pause where neither of them said anything, just watching their kids and enjoying the weather, the whole atmosphere. "Did you ever open my present?" Ryan suddenly found himself asking, the words leaving his mouth before he'd even had the chance to consciously think them over.

Brendon shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. He shook his head reluctantly. "Um, no, I... kind of just shoved it in the back of my closet and couldn't bear to open it. And then... well, I didn't really think about it after that," he said, grimacing. He felt horrible for having forgotten a present Ryan had given him! God, he was such a bad person.

"Don't worry about it," Ryan muttered, fighting down a bit of disappointment. "I understand." He sucked in a breath and forced his face to form a small smile, sucking up another mouthful of piña colada from his nearly empty glass. "Just... take a look at it when you get the chance?"

"Of course," Brendon breathed. "Of course. I'm sorry, God, I can't believe I forgot it, I'm such an idiot sometimes," he sighed heavily and leaned back again, looking up when Isaac shrieked. "Want to go in the water!" his son yelled, and Brendon rolled his eyes. "No you don't," he said tiredly, only to have Isaac drum his feet against the chair.

"Yes I do," he argued, and Brendon groaned.

"But that would mean I have to go in the water," he whined, smiling when Isaac giggled loudly. When it died down, though, his son was still pointing towards the pool and looking at him expectantly. "Fine," he grumbled, looking over at Ryan and shrugging sheepishly. "Be right back," he said as he got up, beckoning Isaac to follow him inside to change. "You gonna come in, Ryan?" he called over his shoulder when he'd come back, Isaac at his side, turning to give him a grin.

Ryan grinned and shrugged off his t-shirt, suddenly incredibly grateful for the fact that having turned thirty-one didn't appear to be showing on his body too much. He was by no means as lean as he'd once been, but still naturally slim. And as much as he usually didn't like getting shirt-less because of his scar, well, Brendon had seen it when it was a fresh, ugly wound, and this couldn't be nearly as bad. He followed the younger man until he was by the edge, walking around to the deeper end and jumping in.

Brendon took the safer route and climbed in from the ladder, Isaac gripping his neck and making random little noises. "There we go," he said quietly, holding onto Isaac with one arm and pushing himself away from the edge with his free arm. "It's not so bad, right?" he asked, smiling at his son, who just looked at him a bit fearfully. He still hadn't quite gotten over his fear of water. "Maybe we can get you a floatie and you'll be able to just float around?" he suggested, trying to coax him away from his body a bit, but it only resulted in Isaac screaming and kicking his legs, shutting his eyes tightly. Brendon sighed and brought him in close to his body, making sure he could touch the floor of the pool and just walked around a bit.

Letting himself observe Brendon and Isaac for a moment, Ryan felt a small smile forming on his lips before he turned his gaze on his daughter who was grinning widely, and a moment later additional water was being splashed on him, prompting him to run over, as quickly as the water allowed him, and squirting right back, laughing when he heard Lucía's loud squeal when the water hit her. A moment later the ball hit him in the back of his head, and he ran closer, sending another splash ahead of him before he got close enough to pick his daughter up high and throw her a few feet, watching her go under before coming back up a few seconds later, spluttering and laughing with a wide smile on her face.

Isaac had turned to see what Lucía and Ryan were doing, and he let out a hair-raising shriek when Lucía disappeared under water. "Hey, hey," Brendon whispered, rubbing Isaac's back and turning him away. "She's okay. It's just water, she's not hurt," he explained, turning him back to see that Ryan's daughter was, indeed, perfectly fine. Smiling, even. Isaac just shook his head forcefully and Brendon sighed, walking slowly to the side of the pool. He lifted Isaac so that he was sitting on the edge, feet dangling in the water, and kept his hands on his son's stomach to keep him from falling in. "It's okay," he whispered. "I was never really fond of swimming, either," he confided with a small smile.

Lucía had climbed onto Ryan's back and was clinging on firmly even though they both knew that she was a proficient swimmer. He just laughed and shook his head forcefully, fat drops whipping out of his hair and hitting his daughter's face as he dragged her across the pool until they were next to Brendon and Isaac. "Hey," Ryan murmured, habitually mussing up Isaac's hair before flashing Brendon a smile. "If you don't like the pool, I'm sure we can find something else to do."

Isaac shook his head, pouting and kicking his legs back and forth. "I wan' go in the water," he whispered, the corners of his lips turning down as tears welled in his eyes. Brendon stroked his cheek just as his chin started to quiver.

"Would you like to go take a bath?" he asked quietly, smiling sadly at his son. He obviously just wanted to go into the water because Lucía was there, and he was getting quite good at following her around and trying to do whatever she did. Isaac shook his head.

"Wan' play," he whined, looking at Lucía for a moment before turning back to his father.

"We can play in the bath, sweetheart, alright? We'll get you some toys and we can play in the bath until your toes and fingers are all shriveled up, okay?" he asked, smiling when Isaac looked up, hopeful and shy looking. He glanced at Ryan, as though to ask permission.

Ryan nodded immediately, flashing the boy a reassuring smile. "You can go on my back for a bit," he offered. "Like back in the spring, remember? Except this water isn't salty and cold." He made a bit of a grimace to underline his comment. "How's that sound?"

Isaac looked down at his lap before nodding and shooting Ryan a shy smile.

***

"I think these... Spaniards are purposely sending me to shitty villas so that I won't buy any of them. Do you think that's possible? Because I think they hate me and are doing everything in their power to drive me away," Brendon grumbled. He'd put Isaac to bed an hour ago, and then had spent some time on his laptop, looking at real estate. Now, as he joined Ryan on the roof with a beer in one hand, he plopped down into the chair next to Ryan's and sighed heavily. "I'm never going to find a place," he muttered.

Ryan bit his lip, slowly twirling the item in the pocket of his pants before making a quick decision and drawing it up, placing it on the the table in front of them. "It's big enough for all of us," he stated with a shrug, carefully not looking up. He suddenly felt more than just a bit fearful at the thought of how Brendon's response would be. Maybe it was a bit quick. But at the same time it would give them all a chance to get closer. And it wasn't like they would be moving in together, not when Ryan and Lucía just lived here part-time and it would only be a place to stay on holidays and vacations for Brendon and Isaac. Not really that big of a deal. That didn't stop his palms from sweating, though.

Brendon looked up, confused, before spotting the key on the table and gaping at it. He was silent for what felt like a long time before looking back at Ryan. "Thank you," he said quietly, a smile forming on his lips. "I really appreciate it. And, um, Isaac will, too." Without hesitating, he reached over and took Ryan's hand in his, lacing their fingers before sitting back and sighing, feeling more relaxed than he had all day.

Smiling softly, Ryan squeezed Brendon's hand back, feeling incredibly light right at that moment. "We'll love having you around," he responded, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth for a moment before finally taking a deep breath and leaning in to press his lips quickly against Brendon's. "And seriously," he added, after pulling back. "Use it as much as you want. Luce and I don't need to be around for you guys to come and have fun." Although, really, that's what he'd prefer, all of them together, enjoying the space and the climate and atmosphere and each other. But this was Ryan's and Lucía's second home, and he hoped it could become that for Brendon and Isaac too, and not just necessarily with Ryan and his daughter.

Brendon smiled, inexplicably happy at the moment. "Oh, I intend to use this to my full advantage," he said, winking. "Isaac loves it here, as I've said, and I think it'll do him some good," he grinned. "Do I need to, uh... pay for something, or...?" he asked uncomfortably. He'd always been rather uncomfortable with talking about money, with anyone, really. It was good that Ryan was probably on the same page as he was, though, on the issue of money. He wasn't sure how much, exactly, he had, but he was sure that Ryan was more than well off.

Ryan shrugged and shook his head. "Everything's paid for already," he stated. "I didn't want to have to worry about mortgages, and it seemed like a better investment to just own it entirely from the start." He bit his lip lightly. "I guess if you'd feel better about it we could work something out with it or something, but you shouldn't worry about it. It's not like I have financial issues anymore. Three best-selling books and twenty-percent cuts of a few platinum selling albums will do that to you, I guess." He shrugged slightly. "The movie deal is home, by the way. And don't even ask me how much money I got for the rights, because it's kind of embarrassing." He exhaled softly, grimacing. "Let's not talk about money."

Brendon chuckled softly and nodded. He didn't say anything for a long time, simply sitting and listening to the sounds of the water down below, feeling the breeze on his face. Finally, he sighed softly and smiled giddily before turning to Ryan. "We're holding hands," he stated, then laughed at the absurdity of his own words. He was silent for a moment, grinning, then, "I like that," he said softly, squeezing Ryan's hand before very hesitantly bringing it up to kiss the back of it. He bit his lip, grin still firmly in place, and told himself that he was allowed to be sappy sometimes. No one had to know except Ryan, really.

"That we are," Ryan agreed with an amused smile before staying quiet for a while, simply enjoying the atmosphere. "You can pay for the interior decorator," he finally offered. "You would probably want a study or an office so you can get a bit of work done while you're here, and I'm sure both you and Isaac would like your own rooms if we're sharing this." He closed his eyes and leaned farther back in his chair, tracing his thumb slowly over Brendon's knuckles. "I guess I'm going to have to open the third floor back up when there are bands staying, though."

Brendon laughed again, somehow unable to believe that they were planning all this so that they could live together. Well, part-time, at least. "I have a feeling I'm going to have to keep Isaac away from those rock stars if any of us want peace and quiet. Next thing you know he'll want to start up a band," he shuddered. Isaac was only four, true, but he already had a deep love for music and instruments and learning about both. He had a feeling that this wouldn't be just a passing phase. It was frightening to think about him growing up, but Brendon couldn't ignore it.

"Maybe that would be for the best," Ryan agreed with a small laugh. "Look at the bright side, though. If he does one day decide he wants to be a musician, there's a fully equipped studio here, not to mention that fact that I have quite a few contacts in the industry. He'd never have to go through the shitty phase of it." He turned his head, letting his eyes open again to look at Brendon in the dim light. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that for quite a few years yet to come, though."

Brendon waved him off with his free hand. "It goes by quickly. I mean, he was just a little alien type thing in Jenn, and now he's all... talking-- finally-- and walking and... afraid of the water," he chuckled and shook his head, sighing. "I think he'd be happy being a musician... but let's not talk about his profession just yet. That is scary," he admitted with a small grimace. He paused, then, "I think your daughter might want to help, somehow, with the Charity. Seemed very interested when I told her about it last time," he said, remembering their conversation clearly. He smiled, fully aware that their outing to the playground had changed her mind completely about him and he couldn't have been happier.

"I know," Ryan agreed. "Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that fucking Miriam came to my dorm in the middle of the night and gave me this wriggling bundle of blankets for me to freak the fuck out over. I'd been through a war and I was scared of a baby." He groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'm glad you two did finally get around to doing that bit of talking," he finally stated. "On some points I think she really has more in common with you than me. I mean, sure, she plays a bit of music and she likes it, but I don't ever see her having the same passion for it I do. And she prefers reading to writing, so well..." He gave a small chuckle, shaking his head. "She does like helping people, though. A lot. I can definitely imagine her wanting to help you out with the Charity."

"Yeah," Brendon said quietly, smiling. "She's completely you, though, you realize? Just... the way she talks and her mannerisms," he chuckled, "It screams you," he stated, nodding. He wanted to say I could take her to visit the Children's Center but he didn't know how Ryan would react to that, and he didn't want any bad reactions, not tonight. Of course, putting it off wouldn't do any good, either. "Not that I knew you as a child, or anything... she just reminds me of you. Mini-you, in female version," he said, laughing quietly before sobering. "I... could take her to visit, you know. If she ever wanted, and you approved. Jon would be there, and..." he trailed off and shrugged, looking away, hoping he hadn't gone too far.

Ryan bit his lip as he thought it over, quelling the first urge to stamp his foot and say no. He had never wanted to shelter his daughter too much, not believing that it would be very good for her in the end. And as Brendon said, Lucía's Godfather would be there, not to mention Brendon himself. And if Brendon, somewhere down the line, was going to be Lucía's stepfather, Ryan needed to trust the younger man with his daughter, and let them spend time together without him. If this truly was going to work in the long haul, it shouldn't just be Brendon and Ryan being together and having their separate kids, separate styles of raising them, separate rules. If it was really supposed to be good, and permanent, they all needed to be a family, no matter how long it would take to really get that to work, get the lines to blur entirely. "I think you should ask her," he finally stated, well aware that there had been quite a long pause while he thought. "A week at the very most, and you have to promise to look out for her just as well as you know I'd look out for Isaac if the situation was reversed." He exhaled noisily before meeting Brendon's eyes. "I trust you," he finally stated.

Brendon, unable to control his wide grin, nodded eagerly. "Of course. Maybe I'd leave Isaac here, since he has absolutely no interest in the Charity," he chuckled softly. "And I trust you, too," he said quietly, and wanted to add more, tell Ryan he loved him, but he wasn't sure if they were there quite yet. He hoped he would recognize the proper time to tell Ryan he loved him and have him say it back, and mean it, with no regrets. "I'm not sure she'd be ready to leave you just yet, but... Well, I don't know her as well as you do, so I'm not fit to make that call."

Ryan gave a bit of a shrug. "As thankful as I am for how much she seems to, well, love me, I suppose... at one point she's going to have to realize that I'm the parent and she's really just a kid. My mother still can't come to England because of angry bureaucrats, but she can come to Spain. If she were to come visit while you took Lucía to America, I don't think she would be too worried." He groaned slightly, covering his face with his free hand. "I feel like I'm a kid in need of a babysitter again," he stated with a small chuckle. "But I think knowing her grandma is with me would make Luce less likely to get homesick, so... And it's about time she sees the country I grew up in in any case." Then he flashed a small smile, giving Brendon's hand another squeeze. "And I'd love to have Isaac stay," he stated. "If you don't think he'd miss you too much. I wouldn't exactly be able to fly him to America if needed."

"I think that would be good," Brendon agreed, then grimaced. "Isaac... isn't the type to miss someone. If they're not right there with him, he just kind of forgets they exist, unless it's Jenn, in which case he'll just babble about her from time to time," he chuckled. "I don't know. I've left him with Spencer for days when I had to work, and he's always been fine, no matter how young he was," he shrugged. "It might be different if I was so far away, though. I really have no clue. I think it's more the fact that I would miss him," he admitted, blushing a bit. "I'm kind of attached," he smiled softly. He almost couldn't believe that they were actually discussing this. It seemed surreal to be making plans for Lucía to come with him to America, the only place her father couldn't go. He was glad, though, that Ryan was at least trying. He knew Lucía was the most important part of his life, and he knew it must have been hard to let someone who knows you so well and who you care about so much go to a country where you couldn't even go if you were needed. He was proud of him, though.

"Maybe we could ask him if he'd like it in the morning," Ryan suggested. "You should only treat kids as kids to a certain extent, not as though they don't have a mind of their own. In my opinion we can only make so many plans for them without having them in on it. It should be their decision, after all." He squeezed Brendon's hand again before pulling back a bit to play with his fingers. "You've gotten so much better about that attachment, though," he stated. "And maybe it would be a help to you as well to be separated from him a little." He gave a soft smile.

Brendon nodded. He looked away for a moment, content and happy, feeling as though nothing could be better in the world. He sighed. "Yes, I think we should discuss it with them, certainly. And I cannot wait for the days when every decision or suggestion we make will be shot down. It's going to be soo much fun," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "And thank you. I think I was getting a bit too attached, there, for a while..." he shrugged and trailed off, embarrassed of the way he'd acted in the not-so distant past. "Want to go down to the beach tomorrow? I think Isaac would like playing in the sand, at least, and Lucía likes the water a lot."

"I think the beach sounds great," Ryan answered with a chuckle, letting his gaze linger on the younger man. The moon was out, setting everything in a sort of ghostly light, and making Brendon look even paler than he actually was, features off-set starkly. The years had been good to him, Ryan decided. He'd been handsome enough at eighteen, but at twenty-five he was stunning, shoulders broader, features more mature, his gait less awkward. "Did you know I used to think I was straight?" he suddenly found himself blurting, a light blush creeping over his face a moment later. He was suddenly incredibly grateful for the fact that moonlight made for very bad technicolor.

Brendon snorted, shaking his head. "I would assume that is why you slept with a woman," he said, scowling a bit. "Or more, I don't know," he made a dismissive as he shrugged. He turned to look at Ryan and smiled crookedly. "But no, I didn't know that you thought you were straight when we were in school," he said quietly, biting his lip. He shrugged again and his mouth tightened as though he was trying to force himself not to speak. He'd been devastated to learn of Ryan having actually had sex with a woman-- or several-- and it still saddened him, but he knew it was just part of his past, something that he had to do to get to who he was today. And if he hadn't, Lucía wouldn't exist, and Brendon knew that she was the best thing that could have happened, so he couldn't stay mad about the fact that Ryan had had sex.

Laughing slightly, somehow a bit more comfortable now, Ryan shook his head. "When I actually slept with women I knew I was bi," he stated. "But I was convinced I was straight until I was twenty-three. April or May of that year, I think." Another chuckle made its way out of his mouth. "I had no clue where those boners came from when we made out and I was so embarrassed and confused. Looking back, it's pretty amusing. I was such a kid." He shook his head wryly. "For all the smarts I supposedly had it took me an incredibly long amount of time to actually grow up and begin to understand who I really was." He bit his lip, holding in the rest of the laughter that wanted to come out. He wasn't sure now was really the right time to laugh. "I felt so bad for believing I was straight and still getting my first kiss from a boy."

It took a moment for Brendon to process what Ryan had said, but when he did, his breath caught in his throat and he looked at Ryan, eyes wide and unbelieving. "Really?" he breathed, tightening his grip on Ryan's hand. He wanted to scream for joy at the thought of being Ryan's first kiss. He'd known that they had both had sex for the first time together. Both of them virgins. But he hadn't known that they had been each other's first kiss, as well. It felt exhilarating. He almost didn't care that Ryan had thought himself straight at the time, and that he probably hadn't felt anything. Could almost forget that it had been a lie.

"Yeah," Ryan muttered. "Really." He flashed a small smile. "I guess I was what you might call a late bloomer," he added with a wink, shifting in the chair. "And I was so frightened that you might somehow be able to feel that I had no clue what I was doing." He rolled his eyes at his memories of his own younger self. "You were my first everything," he finally admitted. "First genuine crush, although I denied that for quite some time. First time falling in love. First time... holding the hand of someone who wasn't my mom, first kiss, first person I had sex with. Everything." He looked up under lowered lids, still smiling softly. "And maybe it was supposed to have been a lie, but I guess it's about time I admitted that I meant it all."

Brendon closed his eyes and smiled, taking a deep breath to get himself under control. A second later, he leaned over and brushed his lips against Ryan's, putting only a bit of pressure before pulling back and beaming. "That means the world to me," he finally stated softly, letting go of Ryan's hand to run his own through Ryan's soft hair. He wanted to say that he thought that, maybe, they'd been destined to have their firsts together, but realized that the thought was much too sappy for his liking, and the thought of saying it out loud almost made him grimace. It was a nice thought, though, despite everything.

The light kiss left Ryan's lips tingling and pulling up into a smile of their own volition. It briefly occurred to him that this was the first kiss Brendon had actually initiated since way back when, and it was a pleasant surprise. He leaned into the hand in his hair for a moment before leaning in farther and reciprocating, his hand settling on Brendon's jaw as he kissed him, slowly and softly for a moment before pulling back an inch or two, leaning their foreheads together. "We should get a couch or bench or something for up here," he stated with a lopsided smile. "Those damn armrests really do get in the way too much."

Brendon chuckled softly, feeling Ryan's breath on his lips and feeling a bit light headed. "I think... I should go to bed," he said, laughing lightly. "Before I do something that we're both not ready for," he finished. Giving Ryan one last kiss, letting it linger for a moment, and then stood, running his hand through Ryan's hair again before pulling away and disappearing down the ladder.

***

Brendon sat down at the breakfast table the next day and the food was already laid out. Isaac climbed into the seat next to his and Lucía sat right across from him. He gave her a small smile before serving himself and then Isaac in silence. When he looked up, it was to stare at Ryan, and he hoped that Ryan could somehow read his mind and guess what he was about to say. "I... have a proposal to make, Lucía, and I'd like to say right now that the final decision is entirely yours, alright?" he waited for her to nod before continuing. "Your dad and I were talking, and I brought up the fact that you might be interested in visiting the Children's Center that Spencer runs. If you wanted, I'd be willing to go with you for a visit, only for a week, whenever you were ready," he finished, keeping his tone light, but also hoping that it got across that she was in charge, and she just had to say whether or not she wanted to go. He left it open, knowing that she might want her father to fill her in on the details.

Lucía bit her small lip, not saying anything for a while. She would love to go and to see what they were doing and to play with some kids who didn't have it well, and maybe make them smile a little. She liked making people smile. But she was the only one who knew all her Daddy's little quirks, and when he needed to be left alone and when he needed a hug or a long snuggle. And she had only just gotten her puppy-dog. She wasn't sure she wanted to leave Petrol so soon. She looked over at her Daddy after a moment, and he nodded at her, let her know it was all right. But it wasn't, really, because Daddy wasn't always very good at taking care of himself. He needed Lucía very much, more than anyone, Uncle Jaken always told her that when she was feeling small or like she couldn't help enough because she was just a little girl.

Ryan cleared his throat slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He could read his daughter like a book and really, he should be the concerned one here, not her. It made him remember, again, that he had to become stronger, had to depend on her less and let her know that he needed her, but not this much. He needed her because he loved her, not because he would drop dead without her around. "It's okay, sweetie," he muttered. "I'll call your Granny, and she'll come stay with me while you're gone." He sent her a supportive smile. "I think if you ask Brendon very nicely he might even let you bring Petrol." The little girl was still biting her lip, looking more than a little torn before she finally gave a cautious nod.

"Only if Granny does come to stay, though," she quickly warned. "And I have to talk to her first and tell her all about what she should do, because someone has to look after you, Daddy, and do it right." Ryan blushed slightly at the declaration, again a little uncomfortable with how protective she was of him. She was six years old for crying out loud. He was obviously a very, very bad father.

Brendon bit his lip, looking between father and daughter for a moment before sighing. "I'm sure your Granny will be just fine. She's known Ryan since he was born, after all," he chuckled. After a few uneasy seconds, he took a bite of his breakfast and chewed slowly, trying to get everyone a bit calmer before he spoke again. "I'm sure bringing your puppy will be no problem," he assured finally. "We can go for however long you like; it doesn't even have to be as long as a whole week. But I think you're going to have a lot of fun, visiting these children and perhaps Spencer can even fill you in on everything he does to help. Oh, and Jon will be there, of course," he quickly added, smiling again. He didn't want to say much more, because everything else on the tip of his tongue were something that should only be said to Ryan, not in front of his daughter. Telling her that her father could take care of himself, and should take care of himself would be crass and not well received at all. He knew that Ryan should probably have a talk with his daughter, though. He offered them both another smile before returning to his food, and making sure Isaac was eating, as well.

"Okay," Lucía finally agreed after another moment's hesitation, nodding slowly. "I do miss Uncle Jon," she added with a small smile, at long last allowing herself to look forward to the visit to a whole new country, and getting to help and see her uncle. It would be so much fun!

***

New York was very different from every other city Lucía had ever been to. Sure, she had seen skyscrapers and tall, glassy buildings before, but it all just seemed so new, even the buildings that were actually supposedly old. It was all so very exciting, even though it wasn't as fun and colorful as Madrid or as beautiful as Oxford or London. It was definitely very different from the real York. Old York? Although Lucía had liked Old York too, when Daddy had taken her up to see the city walls and the Viking Museum. But she did like it here, and she thought Petrol probably did too. She had only been there for a day and hadn't gotten to see anything to do with the Charity yet, but Brendon had shown her around and they'd hung out and seen Uncle Jon and that had been very nice too, even though it was hard to fall asleep the night before because she missed Daddy and was a little bit worried about him. Granny was great. Lucía loved her Granny, and Granny might have known Daddy since he was born, but Lucía just wasn't sure she knew enough anymore, because there were some things only Lucía knew, even though she'd done her best to tell them all to Granny before she was taken to the airport. She looked up at Brendon from where she was seated on the couch, watching cartoons and cuddling Petrol, eyes wide and worried and curious. "Do you think Daddy is okay?"

Brendon looked up from his laptop, brows furrowed before breaking into a smile. "Would you like to call him tomorrow morning?" he asked, glancing at the time on the laptop. Surely it was too late to call right now, and they'd called from the airport upon their arrival, anyway. "I'm sure he's just fine, though. It'll be very good for him to be with Granny for a bit. And Isaac will keep him busy," he winked. "And you can tell him all about what you've seen, and then tomorrow after noon we're going to go to the Children's Center for a few hours, Spencer agreed to show us around," he explained, flashing another smile. "Maybe we'll go out for supper with Spencer and uncle Jon in the evening, if you feel up to it," he added, desperately just wanting to make her feel comfortable and hoping she would have fun. It would be best for everyone if she was happy.

"I would like to call him tomorrow very much," she answered. "And talk to Granny too, because if Daddy isn't feeling well I know he won't tell me, but maybe Granny will." Then she grinned. "And I would really like the rest of it too, very much. It's nice here." She swung her feet lightly against the bottom of the couch. "But I don't understand why it's called Time's Square. Time can't own a square, can it? How can time own anything?"

Brendon chuckled, frowning a bit. He knew he'd heard about this at some point, and he dug into the very back of his memory, trying to remember why exactly it was called Times Square. "Oh! Right, okay, well, it used to be called Longacre Square but it was renamed after the Times building, which is where the former offices of The New York Times were, which is a newspaper," he said, proud of himself for having remembered something he'd learned in passing so long ago. "So, time doesn't own the square, but I suppose the newspaper kind of does... or, at least, has it's tribute there. It's still a very popular newspaper, known almost everywhere," he explained, and almost didn't know where this information was coming from. Did he really know that much about where he lived? He'd gotten used to New York, but he'd never particularly liked it.

"Oh," Lucía muttered, nodding. "That makes sense." She looked up again with a smile. "Do you have anything else to do?" she asked. "Petrol is getting bored with the cartoons."

Brendon nodded. "Well, Isaac has a playroom, if you'd like to check that out. Has a big train set, too, which he loves. Lots of puzzles, blocks, uh... yeah," he smiled sheepishly, hoping that she would like at least some of the toys. He got up, putting the laptop on the side table, and offered her his hand. "Shall we?" he asked.

Nodding excitedly, Lucía put Petrol on the floor and grabbed Brendon's hand, allowing herself to be led through the house, skipping slightly to keep up with the grown man's longer strides. At least his legs weren't as long as Daddy's. When she was walking with Daddy and he forgot to think she had to run to stay by his side. It was all a lot easier when she was smaller and grown-ups were willing to carry her everywhere. Upon reaching the playroom, she squealed and ran inside, eyes growing wide at the sight of the large, authentic-looking train set. "This is brilliant," she exclaimed before plopping down to start rearranging something that looked off about one of the stations.

Brendon sat down cross-legged next to her and nodded. "Isaac spends hours with it," he chuckled. "I used to have one exactly like this one, so I had it made for him when he was smaller," he explained. "When he grows out of it I'll have to find somewhere to put it, because it's so big, and Spencer's trying to convince me to donate it to the Children's Center." He'd been thinking about doing just that, even before Spencer's suggestion. It saddened him to give away his son's toy, though, especially something that looked exactly like one he'd had. And what if he ever had grandchildren? Surely he should keep it for them.

"I don't think everyone grows out of toy trains," Lucía claimed. "Uncle Jaken has one in the attic and he still plays with it sometimes. It's not nearly as pretty as this one, though." She looked up through her lashes. "But if those children need it more..." She shrugged.

Brendon threw his head back and laughed at that, unable to help himself. "I find myself playing with this sometimes, too," he admitted, still chuckling a bit. "Hopefully Isaac won't grow out of it for another long time," he said quietly.

Lucía shrugged and rearranged the tracks just slightly, moving a small hill with a tunnel a bit as well so as to fit with the altered course. Then she pressed the button that made it start up, a wide smile on her face when it went, following the tracks on the new route perfectly. "Brilliant!" she stated again, voice practically reeking with enthusiasm. She giggled slightly as she watched the train take the round a couple more times before she stopped it and started rearranging again. Just before she pushed the button once more she looked up at Brendon with wide, earnest eyes. "Are you going to be my second Daddy, then?"

Brendon nearly choked on his own spit at the question, averting his eyes for a moment before hesitantly meeting Lucía's gaze once more. He was silent for what felt like a long time, before clearing his throat and shrugging uneasily. "I... would like very much to be part of your family," he said carefully, nervously pulling on a loose thread in his shirt. "But that's still up to you and your father," he said firmly, though he still sounded uncomfortable about answering. He had never really given any thought to whether or not Lucía would call him Daddy, or Father, or... anything, really. But he realized that it should be one of the things he considered and discussed with her.Nodding slowly, Lucía bit slowly down on her bottom lip in thought. She liked that she was actually being asked. It didn't surprise her overly much, because Daddy always asked her about stuff before dragging her into it, but other adults weren't always the same way. She liked the ones who were, though. Maybe she was just a kid, but that didn't mean she was always just along for the ride. She was a person too, and one thing that made her like people was when they realized that. "We'll see," she said slowly, dragging out the words. Then she burst out in a fit of giggles, easily countering the ominous sound to her words. Brendon's eyes widened before he smiled nervously and nodded. "Fair enough," he said quietly, chuckling. ***

"We're still working on a bit of construction-- adding another wing," Spencer was explaining as he lead Brendon and Lucía into the Children's Center. He still hadn't come up with a proper name, but he thought Children's Center was fine for now. It was easy to find, at least. He'd had the front entrance, which they were now standing in, decorated with bright colors. On the left was a mural of cartoon characters that children loved, on the right was a big reception desk. The girl behind the counter was dressed in bright colors and always wore a smile. It was kind of like a big orphanage, except better than anything Spencer had ever seen. Children, as young as 12 months and as old as 18 years, could be admitted. Many of them were from Beauregia, and though they had been worse off a few years ago, some were still recovering. Spencer had hired therapists and doctors, and the children needed them less and less, which was a plus in his books. He was worried that, as the children grew, he would be run out of business. He'd already said goodbye to quite a few.

Because of this, Spencer was thinking of turning the Children's Center into a real orphanage, where children could be admitted whether or not their families had been torn apart by war. He'd yet to talk to Brendon about it, though, and figured he could still wait a few years before doing so. Snapping out of his thoughts, Spencer glanced down at Lucía and smiled. "We have several play rooms, as well as areas for arts and crafts, music, a library... is there anything you'd like to see first?"

Lucía thought through the options carefully, reaching up to tug her hair behind an ear. It was loose today, which was okay because she didn't think Brendon would be as good at putting it up as her Daddy. "The play rooms?" she finally suggested, grinning up at the grown-ups. "And do you think maybe one of them will let me see their room later?"

Spencer chuckled, looking up at Brendon, who was grinning fondly at Lucía. He bit his lip before motioning for them to follow him and setting off. "I'm sure that if you make friends with someone, they won't have any problem with it," he assured. "Many of the children are very social and outgoing. A few of them still have trouble, but with everything they've been through..." he trailed off and shook his head. "You know, I found it a bit odd that it was always the oldest children-- teenagers-- who had a harder time. But I guess it's just because they can fully understand what's going on." He lead them to a smaller hallway, lined with elevators. Pressing the button with the arrow pointing upwards, he smiled down at Lucía again and ushered them inside the first elevator to open its doors. The inside was gold and silver plated, rather extravagant, but the children liked seeing their reflections all distorted. He pressed the button for the second floor, and was ushering them out in a matter of seconds. The second floor was, essentially, where all the activities happened. He lead the way to an arts and crafts room. There were about a dozen children, most of them younger than twelve, but there was a small group of teenagers in the corner. The woman looking over the room was sitting at the table with the younger children. She had a degree in art, and acted like a sort of teacher for the children who needed her.

So maybe it wasn't the play room, but it still looked terribly interesting. Lucía didn't hesitate before abandoning the grown-ups and bounding into the room, skipping over to the table with the woman and the kids who looked closer to her age. She flashed her best smile and held out her hand to the woman, remembering how her Grandma had always said that you should introduce yourself to the adult first because it was rude to play with the children before that. "Hello, ma'am," she said, still smiling as she waited for the woman to wipe the wet paint off her hand so they could shake. "I'm Keely Ross. Pleased to meet you."

The woman smiled widely at Lucía before wiping off her hands and shaking her hand. "Hello, I'm Angie," she answered, then glanced up to smile at Brendon and Spencer. "Would you like to do some painting?" she asked, wondering who exactly the little girl was, but thinking it would be rude to ask. She could see the other children staring at Brendon, eyes wide. They knew who he was, of course, though mostly they had only heard about him. Even the teenagers in the corner had looked up with interest.

"Yes, I would," Lucía answered, barely containing the squeal in her voice. She loved to paint! She looked up at Brendon. "If it turns out pretty, can we send it back to Daddy and Isaac and Grandma?" Without waiting for an answer she took the offered paper and paintbrush, dipped the brush in the paint and bit her lip as she contemplated for a moment what to paint. Finally, settled on painting Daddy and the little boy in Daddy's studio where they were probably spending a ton of time, and Petrol, because Petrol couldn't not be in it, she started painting, humming one of Daddy's songs softly under her breath.

Angie smiled, glancing briefly at Brendon and Spencer hanging out by the door, before immersing herself in her own work once again. It was quiet for a few seconds before one of the children piped up, a little boy with blond hair and a face full of paint. "Who're you?" he asked curiously, blinking at Lucía and furrowing his brows in an exaggerated grimace. "Brendon's not your daddy! He's Isaac's daddy, and Isaac came here to play one time," he explained, looking highly suspicious for such a small child.

"I'm Keely Ross," Keely answered again, giving an exaggerated sigh of tested patience. "I'm staying with Brendon this week to learn how to help people and to see New York. Isaac is staying with my Daddy because they both love music, and Brendon and I sometimes get bored with it."

"How does Brendon know your daddy?" another child asked, nose wrinkled and red hair in messy curls around her face. "He used to be a prince, you know. Is your daddy a prince?" she asked, looking more confused than before, now. Surely princes only consorted with other princes and the people who worked for them. Angie glanced up, listening intently and ready to butt in if things got out of hand. She noticed the kids in the corner were all looking their way and listening, as well.

"They are old friends," Lucía answered with a shrug. "Or, I guess my Daddy and Uncle Jon are old friends because Daddy and Brendon weren't friends for loads of years because they got angry with each other, but they're friends now." She leaned in closer with a conspiratorial look on her face. "I think they were in a war together, but I don't really know much because nobody ever wants to talk about it." Then she smiled. "My Daddy isn't a prince. He's an author, though, and that's much more brilliant. He tells the best stories!"

All the children and adults started when a chair clattered to the floor. Brendon looked up to see one of the boys who'd been huddled in the corner advance towards the kids' table, an angry glint in his eyes. Mentally berating himself, he took a few steps forward, glaring warningly at the boy. He should have never brought her here, of course. He knew some people held grudges against Ryan, and you only needed to look up the war on the internet to see his name mentioned a few times. Many websites had done their best to put him in the worst light possible.

"Ryan Ross is your father?" the boy spit out, hovering over Lucía. Angie stood, placing a hand on his shoulder and whispering to him. She shook her head and frowned when he wouldn't even look at her.

"Yes," Lucía answered proudly. She had picked up on the fact that something was wrong, but there was no way she was going to deny it or act as though she was ashamed of the person she loved more than anything in the whole world. "And he's the best Daddy in the world!" she added, glaring up at the much older boy.

The boy scoffed and then sneered down at her, apparently not caring that Brendon was trying to pull him away and that Spencer was saying-- something-- quite loudly. "Yeah, you must be so proud," he said with false sweetness. "He got plenty of people killed, including both my parents! More like the worst person in the world," he spat, before being pulled away by Brendon. "What?!" he yelled, pushing Brendon away from him.

"Don't you ever say that about him again," Brendon said, quietly but firmly. "I think you should follow Spencer," he suggested, eyes narrowed. The boy stood glaring at Brendon for a while, unmoving. Finally, he turned to Lucía again and smirked.

"Hope you're proud of your murdering father," he said, and then stalked out of the room, Spencer following closely behind him and yelling about being in trouble. Brendon ran a hand over his face and shook his head. Great. Ryan would be so angry when he heard about this, especially since Lucía had been there to witness everything.

Lucía promptly stuck her tongue out at the boy's retreating back. "What a rude boy," she said loudly, directed at the whole room and quite possibly the boy. "I don't think I like him at all." She looked over and saw Brendon fidgeting and felt amusement wash away a bit of her anger and indignity. "Don't worry," she told the man. "Uncle Jon told me once that people might sometimes not like me because of who Daddy is, and that I should never believe them because Daddy is a hero who saved all your lives, and some people won't understand that because they want to be angry with someone." She nodded importantly before fully abandoning her painting and walking over to hug Brendon's legs. He looked like he needed one, and his legs were as far as she could reach.

Brendon's anger slowly started to fade and he scooped Lucía up into his arms to give her a real hug. "Would you like to go explore the other rooms? I'm sure Spencer will join us again soon enough," he said, putting her back down. He couldn't be more happy that she was so intelligent and resilient. If someone had insulted his own father like that, he would have thrown a fit and ruined the person's life. Apparently Lucía was above that, though, which Brendon thought was good. He smiled down at her, awaiting the answer. "Unless everyone wants me to leave, I would like to finish my painting," she answered, giving Brendon a smile and quickly pecking his cheek before shrugging slightly. "It's a good painting. It's of Daddy and Isaac and Petrol. You can help me if you want. And then I would like to see the playrooms." "Alright," he said, winking. "And I'd probably ruin your beautiful painting if I tried to help, so I'll just take a seat at the table and wait," he said playfully, sitting in the only empty chair. It was small, and he was half-afraid it would collapse, but it was worth it. And it turned out that they didn't have to wait long for Spencer, after all, because he joined them again only ten minutes later, looking exasperated and apologetic. "It's fine," Brendon assured for the third time, smiling at Lucía. It was only then that Spencer looked somewhat relieved.

"Uncle Jon also said that being angry with Daddy because you've lost your country is just stupid," Lucía stated without looking up from her painting. "People just tend to forget that Daddy lost his country too." She washed the color off the paint brush in a glass of water and dried it in a napkin before dipping it in another color, biting her lip as she concentrated on trying to get Isaac's hair just right. Then, finally, she dipped into the blue color - they didn't have any petrol - and painted her doggie. Sure, she knew he was white and grey, but his name was Petrol, and she had wanted some more color in the picture. Finally finished, she looked back at the grown-ups with a grin. "Look!" she invited happily, anger already completely forgotten.

Brendon grinned and leaned over to see her painting. "Beautiful. I bet you your father will want to put that up right away," he said, then pointed at Isaac. "Isaac looks perfect, and so does your father. Oh, and Petrol, of course," he added, chuckling. "And uncle Jon was completely right when he told you that. Your father lost just as much as anyone else in the war, and he saved lives. He's a hero," he said quietly, wistfully.

Feeling even happier than she had a moment ago, Lucía grinned wider. Then she looked over at Angie. "Can I leave it here to dry or will someone ruin it?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the remaining big kids in the room. She knew it needed to dry, or she'd ruin it by bringing it with her, but if someone was going to ruin it she would rather do it herself.

Angie smiled softly. "We can put it away to dry, darling, and I'll make sure no one touches it until you get back," she assured, motioning to a large table where a number of other paintings were also drying."Thank you very much," Lucía said, smile growing on her face again. She carefully lifted the picture and carried it to the table where she put it down gently, making sure she didn't smudge any of the other paintings there. If you didn't want your own stuff ruined, it was important not to do anything to anyone else's. Daddy had taught her that, and she thought it was really smart advice. "Can we see the playrooms?" she asked a moment later, hurrying back over to grab both Brendon and Spencer's hands. Spencer chuckled and nodded. "Of course," he replied. "There's one not too far away that a lot of the children like because it has a television as well as a ton of toys," he explained, leading them down the long corridor and stopping in front of a huge, bright red door that looked like something out of a children's show. He opened the door and smiled when he saw his own personal favorite room. It was loud and colorful and looked like a fairytale. Any child's dream, really. He smiled down at Lucía again. "Like it?" he asked.
"It's brilliant!" Lucía breathed, eyes lighting up at the view she was getting. She spent a moment taking it all in before letting out a quiet squeal and running inside, hoping the kids here were nicer than the ones in the art room had been. There was a slide and a swing set. Inside. And dress up clothes and dollies and a small plastic kitchenette, and she absolutely adored it. She hurried over to the slide and climbed up, grinning at a girl somewhere around her own age who was scurrying up the ladder right behind Lucía before she slid down with a loud giggle.Brendon chuckled, sitting down on a bench that was much too small for him and grinning up at Spencer. "You're going a great job here," he said, though he'd said it many times before and would probably say it again. Spencer sat down beside him and nodded.

"The kids are growing up, though. I mean, I love seeing them become adults and going to live out on their own, but... what will I do after?" he asked, sounding slightly melancholy. He shrugged, looking at the children in the big room and sighing. "Could I make this a real orphanage in a few years? Where anyone can come, and children are actually adopted? It happens so little right now..." he trailed off, looking over at Brendon. "I didn't want to ask you right away, you know, thought of waiting a few years... but I think it would be good to give children a place like this. Every child. Maybe we could even run a daycare center!" he exclaimed, excited now.

Brendon chuckled. "Whoa, okay. Calm down," he said softly, shaking his head. "I think it's a great idea. We'll talk about it more later, alright?" he asked, only slightly surprised when Spencer gave him a one-armed hug.